Heading into the 2024 NFL season, fans of the Arizona Cardinals were largely cautiously optimistic about their second season under Jonathan Gannon.
After losing Kyler Murray for much of the season due to a late 2022 torn ACL, the Cardinals were able to turn in some pretty good results with players like Josh Dobbs and Clayton Tune under center, finishing out the season with a 4-13 record but plenty of optimism for the future. From there, the team added some key players in free agency, including offensive tackle Jonah Williams, cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting, and defensive linemen Justin Jones and DeeJay Dallas, and followed it up in the draft, where they selected Marvin Harrison Jr. and Darius Robinson in the first round.
Surely, the Cardinals would be able to use this talent and skyrocket themselves to the top of the NFC West, right? New weapons on offense, some much-needed help on the defensive line, factor in some good and a step forward for everyone in Year 2 of the Gannon system, and surely Arizona would be back in the swing of things.
On paper, the Cardinals did take a notable step forward, doubling their win total from the year before in an effort that deserves to be lauded. Trey McBride took a step forward as an elite tight end, as did Zaven Collins as a full-time rusher, and Murray proved that he is still worthy of being considered a franchise quarterback, even if he never returned to his Week 2 peak where he absolutely dismantled the Los Angeles Rams single-handily.
Unfortunately, the Cardinals also happen to play in one of the hardest divisions in the NFL, so even at 8-9, they still finished in the basement and will be picking 16th overall in the 2025 NFL Draft as a result.
Is this the offseason where Arizona finally gets enough talent to break back into the playoffs? Or will fans have to start having some uncomfortable conversations about Gannon when the season comes to an end, wondering how long they can wait for his program to come together?
Needless to say, Monti Ossenfort has his hands full heading into the 2025 NFL season, and that all begins with free agency, where the Cardinals have $71.3 million to spend, according to Over The Cap, and holes to fill.
1. Milton Williams
If there’s one player above all others the Cardinals should be pursuing this offseason, it’s Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Milton Williams.
Originally drafted in the third round when Gannon was still with the team, the then-Eagles defensive coordinator went viral for celebrating Williams’ selection out of Louisiana Tech in the third round while senior football advisor Tom Donahoe pouted in the corner.
After the draft, Nick Sirianni commented on how Gannon specifically was excited about the addition of Williams, as he felt that the collegiate Bulldog checked all of the boxes to be an effective contributor to the defensive line.
“Jonathan Gannon and our defensive staff are juiced to work with Milton to help him realize the potential he showed in college and throughout the scouting process,” Sirianni said after the draft. “Versatile players like Milton make it tough on opposing offenses because they open up so many options for a defense. With the players we have in that D-line room, we know Milton will be able to develop his game and find a role to contribute.”
Standing 6-foot-3, 290 pounds with an incredible 4.67 40-yard dash time at the NFL combine, Williams really came into his own for the Eagles in 2024, picking up five sacks in the regular season plus two more in the playoffs on the way to a Philly career-defining performance in the Super Bowl; bringing down Patrick Mahomes on the way to a blowout victory. Williams repped Klutch Sports on his locker cleanout day, and despite announcing during the Super Bowl parade that he would like to run it back in Philadelphia, he could theoretically be heading anywhere in free agency that offers the right terms.
Enter Arizona.
While Williams only got to rotate in as a three-technique from time to time, as Vic Fangio kept Jalen Carter on the field for 75 percent of the team’s snaps, the LA Tech product would immediately become the Cardinals’ top interior rusher and would get all choice rushing opportunities as a result. The 26-year-old would bring Super Bowl experience to a group that has become accustomed to losing more often than not and wouldn’t even have a particularly tough learning curve to join the team’s system, as he already had success under Gannon in Philadelphia.
Walk, don’t run to sign Williams, Ossenfort: this is as close to a home run as you will find in free agency.
Another blast from the past on two fronts, Haason Reddick, is both a former Cardinal and a former Eagles member under Gannon, where he turned in double-digit sacks on the way to a Super Bowl appearance.
Now granted, as most members of the football-watching world will already know, Reddick was involved in one of the weirder situations you will ever see with the Jets last season, refusing to play on the final year of his contract for the better part of the season before finally returning to the team for an underwhelming end to the season. Reddick unceremoniously ended his double-digit sack record at four, coming nine short of the mark to be exact, and is now set to hit the open market again with his stock at an all-time low.
Will some team swoop in and offer Reddick a one-year deal, with the compensation likely heavily based on hitting milestone incentives to avoid another 2024? Yes, and that team should be the Cardinals, as Reddick turned in arguably his best season under Gannon in Philadelphia.
In 2022, Reddick was unstoppable, picking up a career-high 16 sacks on the way to his first-ever Pro Bowl appearance. Reddick followed it up with 3.5 sacks in the playoffs and looked like a long-term fit in Philly before Gannon left town, and his production dipped in 2023.
Will Reddick ever be a 16-sack player again? No, probably not, but considering the Cardinals would have been happy with another six-sack player in 2024, getting double-digits out of the Temple product would be well worth the risk.
3. James Bradberry
If you only watch football in 2024, you would have no idea who James Bradberry even is because the Super Bowl Champion spent the entire season on IR for the Eagles after suffering a leg injury during training camp.
Originally stolen away from the New York Giants after their cap issues made retaining his services unrealistic, Bradberry was a big reason why the Eagles made it to the Super Bowl under Gannon in February of 2023, even if his infamous holding call ultimately cost them the big game when it was all said and done. From there, Bradberry played okay in 2023 before being effectively shelved in 2024 because his cap space made him an obvious cut candidate.
Assuming Philly lets him walk, Bradberry could join the Cardinals on the cheap and potentially steal regular playing time either on the outside or in the slot as either the first reserve off the bench or as a spot starter who gives a player like Starling Thomas V a run for his money as a veteran starter on a one-year deal. Much like in 2022, Philly’s loss could be Arizona’s gain, and Gannon may have the trick to optimize Bradberry’s age-32 season in the NFL.
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